Kaeta
by kurai-tsubasa
Summary: Post vol. 17 Subaru oneshot. A grey day, a butterfly, and Subaru's angsty thought process. Some implied SeiSu
1. Kaeta

Disclaimer: looks around dorm room. Oh yeah, right. I own these people...in my dreams maybe. WHEN I TAKE OVER THE WORLD! man, i wish i owned Sei-chan though...we could've saved him from his clamp fate...sniffs

Tsubasa: this may seem a little disjointed; i've been writing it during history class instead of falling asleep (it makes it look like i'm actually taking notes...)

Firefly: oh, so this is the reason you failed that last test

Tsubasa: oh shut up! Anyways, just a plot bunny that attacked me during my history class (which i didn't fail btw!glares at Firefly)

Firefly: grumbles yeah, yeah

Tsubasa: warnings are loads of angst, death, more angst, and Seishirou/Subaru if you squint. enjoy!

Kaeta

"What do you plan to do now that Sakurazuka-san is gone?" Fuuma asked Sumeragi Subaru as they sat on a rooftop, looking out over the destruction that was Tokyo. "By taking the eye, you have inherited the powers and responsibility of the Sakurazukamori."

Subaru nodded "Seishirou-san told me that the ceremony to become Sakurazukamori was to kill their predecessor." Subaru paused, remembering exactly when Seishirou-san had told him that.

The year of the Bet was a memory Subaru felt he needed to forget, but could not bring himself to forget. The impact Seishirou-san had had on who he was now was too great. "The person I am today is because of you," he had told Seishirou-san. He briefly wondered what his life would have been like had Seishirou not come into his life or if they had never met on the train platform.

"Probably a happier life," Subaru thought dryly. Then, he really thought of how his life would have been different. He probably would have been the same naive child he had been at sixteen, making the pain of people he met on his _shigotos_ his own, possibly ending up more broken than he was now. Subaru said goodbye to Fuuma, who jumped away in a blur across rooftop. Subaru was left alone atop the roof. He sighed and jumped down.

"Subaru-kun, I'm hungry." The Sakura Tree made its presence known

"Go away, and I told you not to call me that. Besides, you can't be hungry already, you were fed last night." Subaru closed his eyes and tried to block the tree out.

The Tree laughed in his mind. "You should know by now, Subaru-kun, that you can never be rid of me without killing yourself, which you will never do."

"Fine then. I'll feed you tonight. Now leave me alone." Subaru said the last bit with finality, as well as sending some magic with the thought. The Tree drew back slightly.

"Alright, but I'll make sure you feed me tonight." The presence that was the Tree lessened and Subaru sighed.

Subaru walked down the crowded streets without a real purpose. He looked at the people he passed in the crowd, but instead of faces, all he saw was future victims of the Sakura. He wondered absently if this was all Seishirou-san saw when he had walked through crowds. Seeing a less crowded place, Subaru found a small park and sat down on a bench. He put his head in his hands, sighed deeply, and then looked up. What he saw made him catch his breath.

A butterfly, its wings resplendent with patterns of blues and greens, had gotten itself trapped in a huge spider's web. It fluttered its wings hopelessly. Subaru watched it with pity. He could not help it, for if he were to touch the wings, even by accident, they would be destroyed. Subaru could only watch as the spider began its descent down the web towards the captive butterfly. He watched as droplets of water ran down the strands of the web, making it seemed like the web was crying for the butterfly.

"Something beautiful trapped within something just as beautiful. That makes it almost more beautiful."

Subaru felt the words more than he heard them. Phantom words, ghosting his ear from a voice of one three months dead. Subaru spun around, looking around futilely for someone who no longer existed in this world.

"Seishirou-san," Subaru whispered. He stared back at the web in fascination. The butterfly did not seem to panic as the spider approached. It almost did not seem to sense the spider at all until the spider was just about on top of it. And by then it was too late. Subaru wondered what would be a better death, dying at the hands of the spider and keeping the balance of nature, or dying unable to fly because its wings were damaged.

Subaru knew that if he interfered, he would interrupt a fragile balance between predator and pretty, the balance of nature. All he could do was watch. He could only watch as the spider gave the butterfly its kiss of death, injecting the poison into the butterfly. The poison did not kill the butterfly, or cause it to spasm in panic. Rather, the butterfly seemed to have calmed down even more. The spider had the butterfly completely trapped; no matter what it did, the butterfly's fate was tied to the spider's whim.

Subaru thought about how much the butterfly knew about its situation. Did it know the creature it was letting so close was the creature that held its life? Did it know that the one it thought of as no threat was, in fact, the greatest threat it had ever known?

Subaru watched as the spider approached the butterfly for the second time. The butterfly flapped its wings once in apprehension of what was about to happen. The spider began to bind the butterfly within its silken strands, starting out in areas where, if bound, the butterfly could possibly have made a break for freedom, but the butterfly made no such move. It almost seemed to Subaru that the butterfly trusted the spider, as if trusting it would somehow prevent its inevitable death at the hands of the spider. The spider finished weaving the butterfly into its trap, then left. Subaru watched the butterfly, encased in while silk, as it awaited the spider's return.

The spider came back and approached the butterfly for the third and final time. For the first time since the bite, the butterfly struggled against its fate, but it was far too late. From the first time the spider approached the butterfly, its fate was sealed. The spider came closer, and in one swift movement, killed the butterfly. Subaru turned away, knowing what would happen next and not really caring to watch anymore.

Subaru walked away from the bench, and down the path that wound through the park. How like the butterfly and the spider he and Seishirou-san had been. He, the butterfly, trapped within Seishirou-san's, the spiders, web of fate and words. Their story had played out much like the scene he had just watched, but with one fatal difference. The spider had not killed the butterfly. The butterfly, willing or not, had ended up killing the spider.

Subaru went back to his apartment, where a fax was waiting with the details of his next _shigoto_. He sighed and collapsed onto his couch. He must have fallen asleep, for the next time he was aware, night had fallen. He sighed, grabbed his black trenchcoat, and left to do the job required of the Sakurazukamori. He met his target on the street and brought him into his _mabaroshi _to complete the job.

As his hand closed around the other man's heart, the sight of the butterfly, being killed by the spider, flashed before Subaru's eyes. He shook it off and performed the spell to feed the Tree.

Walking back to his apartment, Subaru thought about the butterfly one last time. He was so like a butterfly in that a butterfly metamorphed into something almost indistinguishable from its previous form. He had been changed so much by Seishirou-san. But, he had been changed one last time by Seishirou-san. His mind flashed back to the butterfly's last moments. It could just have been his mind, but he thought it had almost looked like the butterfly was enjoying it. A lone tear, unseen, slipped down his cheek as he disappeared into the shadow of the dark streets.

----------------------------

kaeta-changed

shigoto-job

mabaroshi-illusion

PLEASE REVIEW! I am a starving artist who lives off reviews and gets heat from flames, so please review!

Tsubasa: told you it was random and rather angsty. gomen! there's a fluff omake chaser...

Firefly: sniffs

Tsubasa: oo Firefly, were you crying?

Firefly: ...no...

Tsubasa: ...anyways...there's an omake chapter after this, it's rather WAFF-ish, because i'm not used to writing this much angst. Firefly and my other muses seem to be demanding angst of me lately though...There will be Sei/Su cuteness, elevators, and a lot of stuff that will make you grin..hopefully


	2. Omake Elevator fun

Disclaimer: nope, i still don't own anything. Oh wait, this time i own Shigeru-san. and i can still wish I owned Subaru-kun and Sei-chan...

Tsubasa: sorry this took so long; it stopped being just an omake and being a whole nother one-shot. Baye isn't the most cooperative muse...  
Baye: I resent that! I let you finish the story!  
Tsubasa:..yeah, but it look longer than usual, and it's longer than Kaeta...next time, I'm letting Maya take over. Once again, written during history class, so it may be rather disjointed and a little rushed. Baye isn't the nicest muse when it comes to style. This is in the TB timeline, probably during vol. 1. I just couldn't think of any non-angsty situations in X, and Firefly needed a rest.

Kaeta omake

Subaru sighed and put his head down on the counter.

"Did that last job really tire you out that much?" Hokuto asked worriedly. "If this goes on, you'll never get anywhere with Subaru, Sei-chan. He'll be too tired!" she added, addressing the man standing in their kitchen, cooking dinner.

Sakurazuka Seishirou turned around and nodded solemnly. "It would be a shame, but I love Subaru-kun too much to leave him over such a small thing!"

Hokuto nudged Subaru, "You're so lucky Sei-chan is so patient, Subaru-chan." Subaru blushed at this. "Subaru-chan, do you have a job tomorrow?"

"No, but tomorrow's Saturday. Don't we have school tomorrow?"

Hokuto shrugged. "I'm sure sensei won't mind. You miss so much class anyways. I'll cover for you!"

"….yeah, I guess…..wait, what are you up to? What are you planning, nee-san?"

Hokuto laughed. "Ohohoho, Subaru-chan, don't you trust me?"

"…..not really, no. I know you too well not to know hen you're up to something. Especially when it has something to do with me." Subaru glared suspiciously at Hokuto.

Hokuto smiled innocently. "All I was thinking was that it might be nice if you had a day off and got out a little."

"I guess that would be nice. Sure."

"Then it's agreed! You and Sei-chan will have your first real date tomorrow!" Hokuto grinned widely, and Seishirou, who had been standing, arms crossed throughout the twin's discussion, turned towards Subaru with a big smile on his face.

"I'm so glad, Subaru-kun!"

Subaru glanced wildly between Hokuto and Seishirou.

"Matte! Hokuto-chan, aren't you coming too?"

"Of course not! I have school tomorrow, silly! Have fun with Sei-chan though!"

Subaru let out a small squeak, and, with a rather red face, put his head back down on the counter.

The next day, Seishirou came to pick up Subaru in the morning.

"Sei-chan! Come in! Subaru's almost ready. Subaru-chan! Sei-chan's here, hurry up!" Hokuto had thrown open the door enthusiastically, and greeted Seishirou with a huge smile.

Subaru walked into the _genkan_, wearing black pants, a black sleeveless turtleneck, with a red coat with black trim and a black hat and gloves, both with red trim. "Nee-san, why do I always have to wear these things?" Subaru blushed slightly when he saw Seishirou, who grinned back at Subaru.

The older man walked over to stand behind Subaru and wrapped his arms around him. "I think you look very cute, Subaru-kun." Seishirou breathed into Subaru's ear, the owner of which turned red enough to resemble a tomato with hair.

"Whoo! Go Sei-chan!" Hokuto cheered. She glanced up at the clock that hung above the door. "Oh no! If you two don't get going soon, you'll be late!"

Seishirou let go of Subaru, who started breathing again. "She's right, Subaru-kun, we'll miss our appointment if we don't hurry."

Subaru let out a low moan, as if asking 'Why me?', and just said "Why do I get the feeling you two have had this planned for a while?" Two wide smiles were his only answer.

Subaru let himself be dragged out of the apartment without further comment, but once they got into Seishirou's van and started driving, he couldn't help but ask where they were going.

"Himitsu desu, Subaru-kun!" Seishirou replied with a wink. "You'll see when we get there!"

After a van ride filled with Seishirou making comments that made Subaru blush furiously, Seishirou finally announced "We're here!"

Subaru looked up to see the Ueno Zoo in front of the van. "We've got an appointment here? But what for, Seishirou-san?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"You'll see…." Seishirou trailed off and helped Subaru out of the van and past the main entrance to a side gate where a man in a zookeeper's uniform was standing.

"Ah, Sakurazuka-san, you're here. Are you and your friend ready?"

Seishirou nodded and wrapped his arm around Subaru's shoulder. "Hai, Shigeru-san. Subaru-kun, this is Shigeru Saiki. He's going to give us a tour and explain what he does as a zookeeper. Shigeru-san, this is Sumeragi Subaru. He wants to be a zookeeper, ne, Subaru-kun?"

Subaru could only nod as his brain processed what was going on. Seishirou-san had arranged a behind-the-scenes tour at Ueno Zoo, for him!

Shigeru led the way through the gate and started explaining what his various jobs were as a zookeeper at Ueno. Subaru was fascinated by the entire tour, and Seishirou seemed to enjoy it as well, grinning whenever Subaru's face lit up at seeing all the different animals.

Shigeru stopped the tour at a small building. "This is our last stop. It's where we take care of the animals when they're too sick to stay in their normal areas. It's also where we take care of the rescue animals. I thought this would be a good way to end, seeing as you're a veterinarian, Sakurazuka-san."

The three of them walked inside, and Shigeru led the way to an elevator. "Most of our animals are on the fifth basement floor today. You two can take the elevator down now, I need to talk to a co-worker briefly. I'll be down shortly."

After a few failed protests by Subaru saying that he and Seishirou didn't mind waiting, the two of them got on the elevator and started down to the fifth basement floor.

The elevator started down, but somewhere between the second and third floors, the lights flickered and the elevator jerked to a half. All was silent and dark until Subaru's pager started beeping loudly. A soft green light lit the dark elevator as Subaru read the message.

"They say the power's gone out in the entire building, but they're rushing over the fire department to get us out. They say we should be moving in about 30 minutes or less." Subaru paused for a moment. "What are we supposed to do for half an hour in a dark elevator with no power?"

Seishirou grinned predatorily, unseen by Subaru in the darkness. "I have an idea….." he trailed off, voice low.

Subaru spluttered, face turning a fiery red. He was glad for the darkness, which hid most of his blush. "Sei-Seishirou-saaan!"

"Relax, Subaru-kun. You know I wouldn't try anything without your consent."

Subaru relaxed slightly, but the tension in the air remained.

"Ano, Seishirou-san, you know some onmyoujitsu, right?"

Seishirou nodded. "Yes, some…."

"I was wondering. Where did you learn it? Did someone from your family teach you?"

"I learned much the same way you did Subaru-kun; with a lot of training. Sadly, I did not develop nearly the level of abilities you did." (1)

"ah, sou desu."

"Subaru-kun," Seishirou started, a serious tone to his voice.

"Hai?"

"Do you think I'm sexy?" Seishirou finished, an audible grin in his voice.

Subaru flushed again. "Seishirou-san…." He trailed off

"You know I love you, Subaru-kun, right?" Seishirou asked, all seriousness back in his voice.

"I wish you wouldn't say something like that so seriously."

"Why would I say something like that if I didn't mean it, Subaru-kun?"

"……_wakaranai_. You and Hokuto-chan always tease me so much."

Seishirou moved so he was sitting closer to Subaru and could put his arm around his shoulders. "Don't ever doubt that I love you, Subaru-kun."

Subaru was about to reply when suddenly, the lights flicked and came back on. Subaru and Seishirou both blinked at the sudden brightness. The elevator started moving again, and a voice sounded over the intercom asking if they were both okay.

Then, a female voice was heard. "Subaru-chan! Sei-chan!"

Subaru looked up in surprise. "Hokuto-chan! What are you doing here!"

"Hi! I'll tell you when you get up here."

The elevator started to move upwards. When the elevator doors opened, Subaru was thrown against Seishirou and the wall by a fierce hug/tackle from Hokuto.

"Oh, I'm so glad you two are okay! When I got a call from Shigeru-san, I rushed right over!" Hokuto paused a moment to look at the pair. "You two were down there for almost an hour. What were you two doing?" She asked, a playful gleam in her eyes.

Subaru's eyes widened and a slight blush crept across his face. "No-nothing! Seishirou-san and I talked, that's all!"

Hokuto eyed him suspiciously. "Sei-chan, what did you two do?"

Seishirou looked sorrowfully at Hokuto. "Alas, that is a secret between by my dear Subaru-kun and I."

"Ohohohoho, Subaru-chan! Good work Sei-chan!"

Subaru started to choke and blushed fiercely. "Ho-Hokuto-chan! Seishirou-saan! Nothing happened!"

Hokuto grinned slyly. "Okay, Subaru-chan, if you say so…"

Shigeru walked up to the trio. "We still have to finish the tour. We won't be able to see quite as much because of the lost time, but I can still show you some. Would your sister like to join us, Sumeragi-san?"

After a quick nod from Hokuto, the four of them set off, this time taking the stairs. Once the tour was finished, the three of them set out for dinner.

"Thank you, Seishirou-san. I had a good time today." Subaru said, a slight flush to his cheeks.

"But of course, anything for my dear Subaru-kun!"

Hokuto came in and wrapped her arms around both men's shoulders. "Now will you two tell me what happened down in that elevator?"

Subaru gave a short cry and ran off, with Hokuto's gleeful cries and Seishirou's laughter following him. He swore to avoid elevators alone with Seishirou for a while.

Owari.

(1) Yes, I know Sei-chan has possibly more power than Subaru-kun, but for the sake of his cover...we all know he's a damn good liar.

Please Review! I live on reviews...it keeps the plot bunnies at bay

I'm really sorry that this took so long. And that it took off so much. I don't like this as much as Kaeta...Baye's my humor muse, and he doesn't like to cooperate with my plot bunnies. It's kinda like putting a pyromaniac in a fireworks store...disaster central. He also likes very blatant plot devices, as you can probably tell.


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